It’s draft week, which means we’re gonna be inundated with rumors over the next 72 hours. Some will have merit and others will be pure bullshit.

Let’s start with ESPN’s Todd McShay, who wrote this blurb about the Eagles in a story published Monday morning:

A lot of people around the league believe the Eagles could be a wild card in the first round. The Eagles are apparently tossing out feelers to QB-needy teams that might want to move up to No. 12 if one of the top five quarterbacks is still on the board when it’s the Eagles’ turn to draft. But I’ve also heard that there’s some interest in Justin Fields within the organization. But logistically, that’s usually part of the trade-back smoke screen. If you want a team to move up, you’ll of course toss it out there that you might be interested in a quarterback, as well. Pay close attention to what Philadelphia does here; it could get interesting.

Here’s a way this could work out:

  1. Eagles on the clock at 12
  2. Patriots interested in a QB
  3. Birds get an extra pick to slide back from 12 to 15
  4. Howie still gets a shot at Horn/Waddle/Slater/Smith

McShay, of course, is right when he notes that there’s a lot smoke being blown up asses come NFL Draft week. Everybody’s playing sleuth here and trying to figure out what’s real and what’s not. Regardless, it’s fun to process all of this stuff and try to sift through it as we get closer to Thursday night.